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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Trends, and the Trendy People Who Are Trending Them

A rare cross-posting from my Session Beer Project blog, because there's more here than just session beer.

"Not Even Justin Timberlake Can Save Bud Light Platinum"

You know how I know session beer is the smart new trend for craft brewers?

Because the big brewers are making higher ABV beers.

Check out this story in Ad Age. ABInBev and Miller Coors are betting big on boozier beers.

That appears to be part of the playbook for MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev,
which have turned to pricier, higher-alcohol line extensions to
recapture share from growing liquor brands. The latest entry: Miller
Fortune, which will debut next year at 6.9% alcohol by volume with a
marketing strategy aimed at luring millennial males during nighttime
drinking occasions.

The brew, in the works for months, follows A-B InBev's recent
launches of Bud Light Platinum and Budweiser Black Crown, which both
check in at 6% ABV, compared with 4.2% for most light beers. The goal
for brewers is to reach variety-seeking drinkers whose habits lead them
to the liquor shelf and away from beers their fathers drank.

(Can anyone tell me what the latest sales curves are like on Platinum? Thought I heard they sucked. Oh, here it is: "Not Even Justin Timberlake Can Save Bud Light Platinum")

Guys, guys, guys...People don't want beer with more alcohol. They want beer with more flavor. And Bud Light Platinum doesn't have beer flavor, it has added flavor, artificial flavor. Session beers have real flavor, and that's what people want. Good luck with the big beers; you're only about eight years behind the curve.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are strictly my own; they do not reflect those of the publications for which I write.
I've been a full-time drinks writer since 1996. My first whiskey book, "Tasting Whiskey," came out in October 2014. I am the author of four regional brewery guidebooks. Next time you see me at a bar or event or distillery, say hi.